Anyone own a Woods RD990X 90" 3pt Finish Mower (or comparable)

[GreenTime]

I am in the market for a heavy duty and wide as possible 3 point finish mower. I plan to use it with a JD 60 HP tractor with Cat. 2 3-point. Anyone have any comments on the Woods model or any other comparable brands? Thanks.

 

[wmonroe]

I have a 72" Edge brand finish mower. A 90" would be too wide for my ground as it would gouge in places but if you have smooth/level ground then it would probably work great. My tractor is about 50 pto hp and it doesn't ever break a sweat even in in thick tall grass. Hope this helps some.

 

[mikehaugen]

I have the older version of that mower, an rm90. It appears of similar construction, but instead of a gearbox, mine has a large diameter pulley and a belt that drives the blade spindles. It is just about indestructible. I power mine fine with 35pto hp on most grass. Like wmonroe said, it is a bit wide if you are trying to do ditches and will scalp some on high spots if you don't pay attention. I once mowed about 4 acres of 5' tall grass with it, I broke the eye bolt that tensions the spring for the belt tensioner, but wasn't too upset- overall I thought it handled it well. With 60 hp, you may even try to find a bigger mower, probably 10-12 feet if it is just finish mowing grass. Of course then you are getting in to some pretty pricey flexible cutters.

 

[Leejohn]

I have a 990 and got it new. I don't think I would trade it for anything other then a 990. Cut is great, doesn't take alot of hp. I had a RM60 before and it took more hp then the 990 does. For a wide mower I have never hit the ground with it, but I don't mow ditches and mow about 4" high. I mow around 20A with it and it's just right. I have pulled it with a JD950, Kubota 3010, Kubota B7800, the little b7800 has hp but going up a hill it would pull it side ways. I pull it with a kubota GL4240 now and it does a nice job. One thing that I make sure I pull the blades every year even if they are ok, because the pins that hold them well rust up real bad and makes it real, real hard to get them out.
The model RD990X that you are asking about, I guessing the X is just the lates Model. Mine does have a letter after the 990, but forgot what it is. My the way get the chain kits front and back. I added 2 links to mine and at 4" they just touch the ground, just don't make them to longer that the blades well hit them.
By looking at my post you can see I like my 990. You might want to look at there bat wing, the one that's made up using 3 of the 990's I'm sure your JD can pull one.

 

[VOL54]

The blades on the RD990X are advertised as "quick change". DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!! Bolts are on top of the blade and are NOT accessible through the top of the deck. Impossible to use impact wrench of any kind or a ratchet and socket. Can only use a boxed end wrench. Just finished TRYING to remove my blades to no avail. Tech services at Woods were absolutely NO help. One guy had no clue and another guy's solution did not work. I believe the blades are installed on the spindles at the factory BEFORE installing on the deck. If anyone has had any positive experiences with this, please post asap. Thanks.

 

[bspeedy]

I have a Bush Hog ATH 900 finish mower. Awesome machine and very HD for a finish mower. Bought it second hand.

Like the others - depending upon your property, I would consider a 12-15 foot bat wing finish mower with that kind of hp. A bit more money than the standard 3 pt mowers, but that could likely be recovered in fuel and time over the life of the unit.

 

[RickB]

Just realize that an RM990 and an RD990 are different machines. I have an RM that was brought back from dead 10 years ago; it's a great machine. I don't think an RD is half the mower an RM is from what I hear. The blades are not easy or convenient to change on either, but it really isn't a big deal for me.

 

[PSDStu]

Just realize that an RM990 and an RD990 are different machines. I have an RM that was brought back from dead 10 years ago; it's a great machine. I don't think an RD is half the mower an RM is from what I hear. The blades are not easy or convenient to change on either, but it really isn't a big deal for me.

I have owned a RM990 for 9 years and it is a workhorse and one of my most used implements.

 

[GreenTime]

I am the original poster from back in 2013. I did end up buying a Woods RD990X and have used it the past 3 years. It is a heavy duty mower that can easily handle all 60 hp of my tractor. It cuts nice and runs very smooth but as VOL54 said, the quick change blades are a joke. I had same experience when I called the factory, the techs I talked too never changed the blades themselves and had no idea how difficult it is. Another thing, the PTO shaft came too long for my tractor and I had to shorten it.

 

[lt190b]

The blades on the RD990X are advertised as "quick change". DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!! Bolts are on top of the blade and are NOT accessible through the top of the deck. Impossible to use impact wrench of any kind or a ratchet and socket. Can only use a boxed end wrench. Just finished TRYING to remove my blades to no avail. Tech services at Woods were absolutely NO help. One guy had no clue and another guy's solution did not work. I believe the blades are installed on the spindles at the factory BEFORE installing on the deck. If anyone has had any positive experiences with this, please post asap. Thanks.

VOL54, see if this blade mount looks like yours, if so try this. Get the mower up on something (trailer). You can remove the hole cover if you want but I think all it's good for is pictures. Clean off around the bolt head, swing blade out of the way, on it's pivot not the mount. Put a long 3/4" box end on the head with handle down, tap, [impact] the wrench with a hammer to loosen bolt. You don't have to remove the bolt, just loosen it enough to turn the blade pin lock. Tap up from the bottom the blade pin to remove it. Reverse order for assembly. Don't tighten them so tight! I took mine all apart and reassembled with anti seize